Chapter 218: Chapter 218 - On Power, Rulership, and Space
Some say the devil is dead and buried in Killarney. But to that, I say ’bollocks!’. They’re alive and well and draining this planet dry.
It seems that another thing that is the same no matter the world is that people in power are willing to destroy said world in order to maintain their power.
Disgusting.
Absolutely disgusting.
In my last life I was powerless in my desperate plight against climate change and the industry that created it.
But this time is different.
"You know what, Lovelace? The nicest thing about magic is that it allows for individuals to have more say into how the world is shaped."
"Huh? Where does that come from?"
"I was thinking about the similarities in nature of the crisis of this world and the crisis of the world I come from. Both are apocalyptic destruction brought over the environment and caused by the greed of people in power."
"Oh... I see your point, from what you’ve told me before."
"The difference is that there I couldn’t do anything, but here I can."
"You weren’t the princess of a major power back then, nor did you have the full backing of said major power."
"..."
"What?"
"You are maddeningly correct, Lovelace. If I was one of the decision-makers of, for example, the European Union, and got as much support there as Wesgoth gives me here... I see your point. Only power equals power, after all."
I am able to be here, in this arena, building this research institute, not because I have magic. But because my words have weight in the country and the king, my grandfather, gave me the green light.
The goddess is seemingly untouchable not simply because she has magic, but only because she has the full support of four of the five biggest human nations in this world.
And yet, we are evenly matched, as long as we don’t go for a direct confrontation.
Magic does not equal power. It is just another of the components of power, along with money, status, and several others. Just another variable in the mix.
"Still, magic is awesome."
"I won’t deny that."
It allows for a mere child to survive alone in the desert. But it’s true that magic alone can’t accomplish much.
And yet, it’s thanks to magic that the goddess has been dominating this world for a thousand years. And it’s only thanks to her (and magic) that the world’s technology has stagnated in the perpetual middle ages.
Science and technology move forward in minute changes over vast amounts of time. Someone here finds a way to do one thing better. Later another person improves on that, and so on. Until one day someone looks at all that and goes ’eureka!’ and a breakthrough occurs.
The more people alive, the more the work can be divided into specialties. Specialists are the ones more prone to tinkering with stuff to optimize their work. So, the more specialists, the more optimization, and the more technology improves.
In all the years of study in the Academy, I never found any mention or reference to any new discovery in the last thirteen hundred years. Even in the forbidden section there were no mentions of technological breakthroughs being snuffed.
But there was always something that bothered me.
Why didn’t the goddess wipe out the remnants of the dragonkin? Why is there still a battle going on? And why nobody ever explored beyond the limits of the known world.
Humanity has been living in a perpetual war, never winning or losing any meaningful battle. That constant war makes all energy and resources be funneled to the war itself.
War is a mother of inventions and innovations that often pushed technology forward. Yet, none of those innovations seems to have ever happened among humans. Why? Because they learned to fully rely on the Adventuring System.
The goddess created the System not to help humans win the war. But to control those humans, like a carrot at the end of the stick.
She has been sucking the energy of the whole planet to keep that system in place and to keep the humans in place.
Why is there a desert after the Barren Wilds? Why is the Ocean a no-go zone? Why does nobody go to the areas South of Calem?
Because the whole world is a barren apocalyptic landscape. That’s why.
That’s also the reason the goddess replaced all magic with the system counterpart. Nothing would be more dangerous to her plot than magical research and improvement.
Without it, even if someone somehow managed to find the Leerkans, they wouldn’t know how to fight it. If they didn’t know about light and dark elements, they wouldn’t even be able to identify the thing.
A cunning and evil plan. That only fell apart because she summoned the heroes. Which she did because she disappeared for years. I wonder why she disappeared to begin with.
I also wonder if the cause of her summoning of the heroes was really our insurrection, or if there’s something else going on...
:::
PoV: ???
The dragon raged between the stars, following the scent of his prey.
"That oathbreaker ape... how dare she go back on her challenge? I will rend her to pieces, along with whomever else is with her."
He had been muttering similar things since he set out to find her.
For all he knew, she simply fled because she noticed that she would lose and didn’t want to face the consequences of losing a challenge to a lord dragon.
He didn’t know that the actual reason had been because she noticed that she had problems at home.
"Long time no see, Nurtawalladi Za Nadin Zeru’ibni Eres. How have you been doing?"
"Ain. Long time no see, indeed."
Eres bit down his anger, as in front of him was an avatar of the one who governs all deities. As a dragon, a being deeply sensible to hierarchies, Eres wouldn’t dare to disrespect him.
"I am sorry to interrupt your journey, but, as a guardian of all worlds, I must ask you a question. Are you heading to the world you abandoned? The nameless world, governed by Juno?"
"Hm. I was sensing something familiar in the path I’m following. So she is the goddess of that forsaken land. Don’t worry, I know the rules. And I also have no interest in that world. Unlike her, I’m not one to go back on my word."
"So you’re saying that it’s a personal matter, and not you trying to reclaim the world you once governed?"
"Yes. You have my word for it. Though I can’t guarantee the safety of its inhabitants when the two of us come to blows."
"Well, it’s not your responsibility to guarantee. As long as your goal is not to destroy the world, of course."
The dragon this time looked offended, and his anger started to boil again.
"I’ve already said that my goal is Juno, and Juno alone. Nothing else. But I won’t spare anyone who stands in my way trying to protect her."
"Your anger is justified, mighty Nurtawalladi Za Nadin Zeru’ibni Eres. She invoked the Draconic right to challenge herself. So it’s fair that she faces the consequences of dirtying the rules of the challenge with her actions."
Ain’s voice became stern and severe.
"I know that you are a man to live by the rules, but I am also duty bound to say this in clear words. Destroying a world is the highest crime possible, and the punishment is oblivion. That includes both intentional and unintentional destruction."
Eres gently bows in respect to Ain’s words.
"I am aware. I also am able to feel another deity in that direction. Has another ape also attained godhood?"
"Indeed, a human ascended."
A scornful grunt escaped Eres’ mouth.
"I know what you’re getting at, Ain. Don’t worry. As long as she doesn’t get in my way, I will not mess with her. I have no time to deal with random apes. You may rest assured."
Ain smiled and nodded approvingly.
"Good. You really are trustworthy, Nurtawalladi Za Nadin Zeru’ibni Eres, Lord of Dragons. You dispelled all my doubts."
"Hah! I might not be a god anymore, but that does not mean that I ceased to embody dragonkind’s ideal of rulership, hierarchy, and rightfulness."
"Indeed, Lord of Dragons. Thank you for your understanding. I look forward to watching the battle between you two. It will be a very interesting sight. I just hope that it isn’t too one-sided. Goodbye."
With those words, Ain fades away, leaving only the Lord of Dragons floating in the vacuum of interstellar space.
Eres hrumps and resumes his march forward, swimming in nothingness. His mind again focused on the countless ways he would kill the human goddess.
"She won’t escape. And if the other goddess comes to help her, I will skewer both of them."
In his anger, he had some desire to fully cleanse the planet. But he was still composed enough to not let his anger trump his sense of right and wrong.